The Crack of Dawn

Have you ever been outside very early in the morning, when it's still completely dark outside, waiting for the sun to rise?  Then, you see that sliver of light on the edge of the horizon, like someone has opened a small crack in a door?  That would be The Crack of Dawn. 

A similar phrase, The Crack of Day, means the same thing.  As I've mentioned before, getting up early is not something I generally do.  I'm more of a sunset girl, myself, but I have seen my share of sunrises.  They can be a beautiful thing.

A Light Bulb Moment

Hope that you had a great holiday week!  Welcome back to new week of idiom fun. ;)

Often a light bulb over the head of a cartoon character is used to indicate that he or she had suddenly come up with an idea!

And when people have a sudden realization about something or a new and exciting idea, it might be referred to as A Light Bulb Moment.

For example ... Billy was very sad after he was unable to sell the baskets of lemons he had.  Then, he had a light bulb moment.  "I know what I'll do!  I'll open a lemonade stand."

Will Be Back Soon

Since I'm out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday, I will be taking a break from idioms this week.

 

Have a wonderfully blessed week!  See you next Monday.

The Bottom Line

I thought it would be a good idea to talk about The Bottom Line because it is an idiom that I use quite often.  Maybe it's because of the time I spent in the business world .

 

More likely, it's because I have a tendency to ramble and get off the point of the conversation.  And that's what The Bottom Line is.  It is the main point that you're trying to get across.  If we were talking about essays or papers for school, we'd be talking about our conclusion.

When you're getting lost in all the complicated and confusing details, you can say, "But the bottom line is..."  Or is someone is getting frustrated with me, they may say, "That's all fine, but what is the bottom line?"

There are actually quite a few idioms that address this.  That might be an American thing.  We want to do everything so quickly and immediately that we don't want to be bothered with the details.  We just want the main point.

Thanks for coming with me through another week of idioms.  Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Down to Earth

Someone who is Down to Earth does not necessarily work in the dirt or even garden. 

He or she is someone who is practical and realistic.  This person usually is not concerned about appearances or worried about what others do or think.  They don't try to show off.  Because of this, they often have a laid back and relaxed manner.  They are stable and dependable.  They're down to earth.

See you tomorrow when we finish up the week with The Bottom Line.

Walking on Eggshells

When you're Walking on Eggshells, you are treating someone very carefully and gently.  Likely, this person is either in a delicate emotional condition, or you're afraid that they will get very angry.

 

So, you proceed as if you were walking on eggshells without breaking them!  For example, you just heard that your friend lost their job, and you know that they are up a creek without a paddle.  So, you walk on eggshells when you are around them, so they won't be more upset.

Tomorrow, we'll be talking about people who are very Down to Earth.

Up a Creek without a Paddle

Have you ever had a big problem and did not see a way to resolve it immediately?  Then, you were likely Up a Creek without a Paddle.

 

You feel like you are out of control and being directed by negative invisible forces.  And, if you approach something disastrous like a waterfall there's nothing you can do to avoid it.

Preach to the Choir

Welcome to another week of idioms!  I hope that you're having fun so far. Today's idiom seems especially appropriate for a group of people studying to be pastors and give sermons.  Today's Idiom is ... Preach to the Choir.

 

It's something that we have to be wary of both in our vocation and in life generally.  The church example that I'll give is a pastor giving a passionate sermon about the importance of attending worship services regularly with the choir sitting behind her.  Of course, most of the people listening are people who already attend worship services regularly.  The people who need to hear the message are the ones that are not there.

And, that's kind of what it means in everyday life too. It means that we are talking about a problem with people who already agree with us or are already doing what we want.  In effect, we are wasting our time and energy because we are not talking with the right people.  The choice is to find the right people, or change the message to one that is more helpful for our audience.

Come back tomorrow, when I'll talking about being Up a Creek without a Paddle.

Close, But No Cigar

Context can be so important for idioms, and that certainly applies to Close, But No Cigar.  The "close but no" part could make sense, but what do "cigars" have to do with it?

The phrase comes from carnival games where cigars would be the prize for winning.  However, maybe you know that carnival games can be tricky. They don't want you to win, but they want you to think that you could if you just keep trying.  So, if you almost get it, you might be taunted with, "Close, but no cigar."

Now, it means that you almost succeeded, but no.  As the carnival folk would say, "Better luck next time."

See you next week!

Hit the Wall

So many of us at grad school/seminary come across this, whether we realize it or not.  We work so hard, so diligently with every fiber of our being.  We try to keep up with our reading assignments ... write papers ... attend chapel and church services ... work in our churches ... take care of our families until ...  We can do no more.  We have Hit the Wall.

It means working so hard without resting that your body shuts down and demands rest.  You have reached your absolute limit.  You'll probably feel a bit under the weather for a while, until you have a chance to recover.

Pace yourself.  It is never any fun to hit the wall.  Ask those two guys above. ;)

Strike While the Iron Is Hot

One of the great things about iron is that you can depend on it to keep its shape.  If you do want to bend it or shape it, you must go through the difficult job of heating it than pounding it into the shape you want.  Then, it is relatively easy.

To Strike While the Iron Is Hot is to act when you have the greatest chance of success (like a metal worker with their hot iron).

For example, the student heard that his mentor would only be in town for one day.  If he wanted to meet her, he would need to hurry down to the lecture and strike while the iron was hot.

Heard any good idioms lately?  I take requests.  See you tomorrow.

Feeling Under the Weather

In my part of the world, we are headed into "cold and flu season."  Therefore, the next phrase may be very important.  You or one of your friends may be Feeling Under the Weather soon if it hasn't happened already.

This one actually does not have anything to do with the weather at all.  (Except that you may think that the weather has contributed to your feeling this way.)

It just means that you feel ill and would rather be in bed.  It can apply to almost any illness (not an injury) as long as it doesn't require you to go to the hospital.  Though I have known a friend or two who didn't think that they were sick enough to be in the hospital because they were only a little under the weather.

If someone only has a small cold or is suffering from allergies, they might say that they only feeling a little under the weather.  That would mean that they are basically okay, but don't feel quite right.

So, take your vitamins, get plenty of rest, and get your flu shot, so that you can be healthy while you observe others feeling under the weather.

Come back tomorrow, so that we can Strike While the Iron Is Hot.

Raining Cats and Dogs

Welcome to another week of idioms!  We start off with a funny one:  It's Raining Cats and Dogs.

What it means is that it is raining so hard as to be unbelievable (like if it rained cats and dogs).  There does not seem to be any agreement about the origin of this.  My thought is that it was always metaphorical and created to be poetic and humorous.


So, the next time that you get caught out in a heavy rain ...

... you know what to say.  Gosh!  It's raining cats and dogs!

Tune in tomorrow for Feeling Under the Weather.

Smoking Gun

If someone finds a Smoking Gun, they have found incontrovertible evidence.  Most often, this is used to prove that a hypothesis is true.

The phrase comes from the thought that if a suspect in a recent shooting was found with a smoking gun, one that was recently fired, it would be extremely strong evidence that the suspect was guilty.

Come back next week when there will be another series of idioms!

You Sooze; You Lose

Today's idiom has an added benefit. It rhymes. Even though it is usually said as a criticism or admonishment, it can make it sound lighter or a bit fun.

You snooze; you lose is really very simple.  You waited too long to act, so you were unsuccessful.  It can also mean that you weren't paying attention, so you missed your opportunity.

Come back tomorrow when I talk about the smoking gun!

For the Record

For the Record might be more of a metaphor than an idiom, but it could still be confusing.  There are several different instances where this phrase would be used literally.  If someone was making a recording, it might be for a record.  (It's what we "old folk" used to play before CDs, mp3s, or iPods. lol)

If it is a sporting event or something, they might want to do it for the record, meaning that they have done it the best, the fastest, or the most often in a particular category.  (Like the number of goals in in a football/soccer game)  It might be a witness or someone accused of a crime who talks to the police or their lawyer who tells their story for the record.  And lastly, it might be a celebrity that was in a scandal who wants to tell their side of the story to a journalist for the record.

It is this last case that is probably closest to the use of this phrase in casual conversation (like in my last blog post).  I wanted to make sure that everyone knew for the record, as if I had sat down with a journalist, that getting up early in the morning is difficult for me.  But let me add, that I can do it if I have to, but breakfast doesn't qualify. lol

See you tomorrow with You Snooze; You Lose, which, under the circumstances, seems quite fitting!

It's Not Rocket Science

While I was preparing this post, I found that people are getting tired of this phrase.  But that's because they hear it so often, so it's certainly an idiom that you want in your repertoire.  (The next most confusing thing about English besides the idioms is how much French there is in it. lol)

  "It's not rocket science," is almost always something said with sarcasm.  It is usually a relatively simple thing to do that people have tried to make more complicated -- or are complaining about being difficult.  That task or activity is then compared with the very difficult and complicated job of rocket science.

Person 1: No matter how hard I try, I can never seem to make breakfast in the morning.
Person 2: If you would just get up 15 minutes earlier, you could do it.  It's not rocket science!

A related idiom is It's Not Brain Surgery.

(Just for the record: If anything ever involves getting up 15 minutes early, it might as well be rocket science for me. lol)

Tune in tomorrow when I will explain the idiom, Just for the Record.